The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to suspension systems for vehicles, and in particular to suspension systems having selective activation according to parameters of the impact or perturbation.
Rotating masses tend to accommodate vibrations and shocks due to internal and/or external forces and impacts from surfaces in contact. One example is the vibratory motion of a wheel when it travels a distance on a non-purely smooth surface. Motorized and other vehicles commonly include suspension systems in order to protect their chassis or other affiliated parts from early failure as well as to avoid unpleasant conditions to passengers. Suspension systems, mostly including springs and damping elements, are commonly connected to static parts of the machine or vehicle, on one end, and in direct contact with the axle or other elements that provide a stable axis of rotation to the rotating mass or rotator. For example, a wheel that travels over a rough surface will transfer axial, vertical and other forces (e.g., impacts and/or vibratory) to the axle, which will be partially absorbed and diminished using suspension means that can be located between the axel and the chassis. Several attempts are known for implementing suspension mechanisms inside the wheels.
Wheels provided with embedded suspension is supposed to have unique advantages in several factors, including improved ratio of sprung to unsprung weight of the entire vehicle, ability to absorb shocks closer to shock origin on the road, suspension unit that can be plugged-in to a chassis of different designs and shapes insensitive to suspension implementation, and optionally also increase of vehicle's volume to weight ratio. In case of in-wheel suspension rotatable with the wheel there is also an advantage of symmetrical suspension which is insensitive to shock direction and/or vehicle's velocity/acceleration direction as opposed to non-rotatable and/or frame-based suspension which are substantially linear in nature.
In case of motorized or driving wheels incorporating in-wheel suspension, several factors are to be considered as well with respect to suspension selective operation, including torque magnitudes originating from a power source and acting on wheel center, substantial accelerations and decelerations, breakings and/or wheel traction.